A road show on Kazakh investment opportunities was recently held in Spain on 19-20 March, with the participation of a Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Yermek Kosherbayev, reports the press service of MFA.

The delegation included the heads of departments of the ministries of energy, industry and infrastructure development, agriculture, Samruk-Kazyna, Baiterek, Kazakh Invest, the Astana International Finance Centre Authority, the Agrarian Credit Corporation, Astana SEC, Aktobe SEC, Oral SEC, and the Solar Energy Association of Kazakhstan, as well as representatives of Kazakh private enterprises.

The road show included a Kazakh-Spanish business forum with the participation of approximately 80 Spanish companies and a working breakfast with members of the Spanish Exporters and Investors Club, which comprises companies and banks representing over 20% of the country's GDP and 50% of Spanish investment abroad.

Delivering the speeches, Kazakhstan's Deputy Foreign Minister, the Secretary of State for Trade of Spain Xiana Mendez and the Ambassador of Kazakhstan to Spain Konstantin Zhigalov emphasised the dynamic development of bilateral cooperation between Kazakhstan and Spain and its recent intensification, marked by the tenth anniversary of the signing of the Strategic Partnership Agreement.

The head of the Kazakh delegation outlined the new functions of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and described the investment attractiveness of Kazakhstan.

Representatives of the Kazakh delegation presented the possibilities of investment and technological cooperation in such areas as transport infrastructure, renewable energy, environment, agricultural and industrial sector, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, construction, engineering, digital technologies, defense and aerospace industry, automotive components production, machine tools industry, metalworking, and electrical engineering.

The attention of Kazakhstan's Spanish partners is focused on facilitating joint production of value-added products, taking into account the strategically-important geographical location of Kazakhstan and the transport and logistics routes passing through the country. Special attention was paid to the development of business relations supported by the Astana International Financial Centre.

Mr. Kosherbayev held talks with the Secretary of State for Trade of Spain and the Co-Chair of the Kazakh-Spanish Intergovernmental Commission on Economics and Industry Ms. Mendez, where they discussed a wide range of issues in bilateral trade and investment.

A number of important bilateral meetings were held on the sidelines of the forum. During Mr. Kosherbayev's meeting with the CEO of Energy at ACCIONA, Rafael Mateo, and the Vice President of Abengoa, German Bejarano, a presentation was held on the renewable energy sources (RES) auction trading system in Kazakhstan. Companies are invited to participate in the auction to implement RES investment projects, scheduled to be held in Kazakhstan later this year.

Following the meetings of the Kazakh delegation with Spanish companies including Danobat, Mercasa, ACS Industrial, Arteche, Tecnove Security, Elecnor, IGEN, CAF, NEFTAN, Russel Bedford, Grupo Anka, Temagra, Globaltec, ARPA, Techno Concrete, and Raesa, cooperation potential was identified in trade and logistics centres, processing and export of agricultural products, as well as attracting Spanish technology in machine-tool building and electrical engineering.

Following the events held in Madrid, a briefing for Spanish media took place on 20 March. In addition to the results of the road show, journalists were interested in the appointment as interim President of the Speaker of the Kazakh Senate Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, which took place the day before.

The Deputy Foreign Minister emphasised that the decision taken by the First President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and the further procedures for the transfer of power, were implemented in accordance with the Constitution and laws of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan firmly adheres to its international commitments, and the country's foreign policy remains unchanged.

The trade turnover between Kazakhstan and Spain in 2018 amounted to over $2 billion, including exports from Kazakhstan to Spain of close to $1.9 billion. Imports to Kazakhstan from Spain amounted to approximately $180 million.

“The Qazaq Times”